This invention relates to targets which are towed by aircraft for aerial machine-gun firing practice and more particularly to a system, in such a target, for indicating hits by bullets fired during such firing practice.
In the case of aerial firing practice from an aircraft with high-priced missiles or the like. a high-priced miss distance indicator (MDI) such as a pulse Doppler radar system which is divisionally installed in the target and the training aircraft or the target towing aircraft is used as a system for evaluating the results of such firing practice. In the case of firing practice with relatively inexpensive machine-gun ammunition, the target itself is ordinarily disposable and is discarded after use, and an MDI is unsuitable for such a target. In the present state of firing practice with such targets, another trainer aircraft approaches a target after firing practice and a person on this aircraft visually evaluates the hit result. This method, however, is not only undesirable with respect to the effectiveness of training of the pilot or machine gunner but is also uneconomical with respect to the time expended and fuel consumed.
With the aim of overcoming such drawbacks, targets equipped with hit indicating systems which indicate bullet hits by emitting light have been developed and publicly disclosed in specifications such as the following: Japanese Utility Model Laid Open Publication No. 124900/1974, Utility Model Laid Open Publication No. 131798/1974, Utility Model Laid Open Publication No. 27700/1975, and Utility Model Laid Open Publication No. 93298/1977.
In each of these known systems, one bullet hit sensor section, one control section, and one indicating section are provided in one-to-one-to-one correspondence to consitiute one indicating device set. For this reason, one set of the indicating device can accomplish the indication of hit by only a single bullet. Accordingly, in the case where this system is to be used in an aerial towed target, a large number of the one-to-one-to-one sets of the devices must be used. This requirement increases the number of component parts and the cost. In addition, the probability of effective operation of all of the numerous control sections and indicating sections becomes very low, and much waste occurs, whereby these systems cannot be readily reduced to practice in the present state of the art.